|
2001
NEWS ARCHIVE
|
|
Please
Visit Florida Stock Car Racing Sponsors!
| Wednesday, November 27, 2002 | |
| TENNESSEE DRIVERS AGAIN INVADE STATE FOR THANKSGIVING CLASSIC CAR ACTION | By Dave Westerman
Again it looks like an "us vs. them" showdown this weekend as the Classic Auto Racing Series winds up its 2002 season with races at Orlando Speedworld and New Smyrna Speedway.
Friday evening, the Classics play "opening act" to the annual Crasharama festivities at Orlando Speedworld that will feature a School Bus Figure Eight race, Camper Trailer Race, Boat on Trailer Race, Demolition Derbies and who knows what else. Weather is expected to be picture perfect and cool in comparison to the monsoon that nearly flooded out the show last year.
Qualifying and a 30-lap feature race are on tap. Following the race, drivers are going to pass their helmets through the expected overflow crowd to raise money for the family of the late Pete Orr to help them overcome mounting bills.
Saturday, the Classics wrap up 2002 with a 50-lap shootout on the high banks of New Smyrna Speedway. since the cars run only an eight gallon fuel cell, a mandatory stop at halfway will be required making the race actually two 25-lap affairs.
CARS point leader Jim Rahman of Clermont can wrap up the season championship simply by starting both races this weekend. Rahman visited victory lane at Orlando in April and also won the only other appearance of the year made by the Classics at New Smyrna.
Rahman, who also won the CARS title in 1998, will be at the wheel of his 1934 Chevy coupe sponsored by Ro-Mac Lumber, Westmont Homes, Hugh Cotton Insurance, and Allen's Drywall.
Two other races were held at Orlando late in the season and they were won by Deland driver Joey Strehle and Ft. Pierce's Wayne Ashton who is now behind the wheel of a car built by former Orlando Speedworld Super Late Model Champion Ricky Wood.
2001 CARS Champion Eddie Thornton will be back in the line-up this weekend as will two-time Classic champ Rodney Eary who is expected to wheel the Frank Conrad owned "Teal Tornado" sedan. 2001 Door Operating Systems Rookie of the Year Al "Hot Rod" Hagan of Merritt Island comes off a recent win on the dirt at Jacksonville and should be a strong contender along with current Rookie point leader Patrick "Bam Bam" Sanders of Winter Garden.
Other rookie competitors looking for a strong finish to the season are Brooksville's Harvey Ewing and the "Gentle Giant," Keith Roberts of Groveland.
Orlando's Ed Yates should be strong as he always is at these two tracks. Yates moved to second in season points following the Jacksonville weekend and appears destined to finish in the runner-up spot for the fourth year in a row.
Other contenders include two-time 2002 winner Bud Spencer of Palm Harbor in his "Lavender Love Machine," Jax Raceways fast qualifier E.T. McGhee, Okeechobee's E.B. Carr, the St. Petersburg father/son team of George Hall, Jr., and George Hall III, Dennis Gilliam in the potent South 40 Motorsports sedan, Orange City's Greg Helton, and Ben Booth of Deland. Booth was one of the dominant Open Wheel Modified drivers at Orlando in the early '90's and hopes to have his machine repaired from a bad crash at Jacksonville.
As always, the weekend will end up being a shootout between the aforementioned Florida drivers and a strong contingent of drivers from Tennessee who run primarily at Galaxy 411 Speedway in Knoxville.
Leading the Tennessee group will be 411 Champion and multi-time feature winner Gary Kelley of Del Rio in his Moonshine Trippers '34 Chevy sedan. Kelley was the winner of last years 50-lapper at New Smyrna.
Another strong challenger will be Maryville, TN's Larry Gibson. Gibson concentrated mostly on Late Models in 2002, but will be back behind the wheel of the B&B Racing Special this weekend.
Gibson is the track record holder at both tracks and has won the Orlando Thanksgiving event the last two years.
Also heading south from the Volunteer State to compete will be Brian Ball of Cosby, a recent winner of one of the two features held at Jacksonville. It is expected he'll wheel a Classic featuring a 1940 Ford body, the first to run in the State of Florida.
Other contenders expected from Tennessee include Wayne Dukes, Ron Rudder, and Robbie Sands, all from Knoxville, and Bart Baxter from Dandridge, TN.
Friday's winner will take home $500 while the Saturday half-century grind at New Smyrna pays $1000 to win. if any driver can win both races, he'll pick up a bonus of $300.
Fast time each night pays an extra $50 and there's a $50 bonus on the line to any driver who can break Gibson's track records of 15.893 at Orlando and 21.660 at New Smyrna.
Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board!
<news@karnac.org>or send a letter to the editor!
|
|
Click
Here for links to all 2002 News Articles
Copyright©
Future Enterprises 1997-2002 KARNAC.com is electronically
published by Future Enterprises. The KARNAC© name, logo
and trademarks are owned by and used with the permission of
Future Enterprises of Florida. Reproduction or republishing
in whole or part for inclusion in any work is strictly prohibited
without prior written permission of the electronic publisher.
Information may, however, be printed for the sole purpose
of contacting our advertisers.
|
|
|
|
